Endometriosis campaigners to hold first fundraising event at Belstead Arms

Why it matters: The event marks the first fundraiser held by Girls Anatomy, the women's health organisation set up by Faye Ramsey and Siana Lynch within the past couple of months.

Both women live with endometriosis, and Ramsey has spent the past year campaigning locally and nationally on the issue, including collecting stories from more than 90 women and helping secure a Westminster Hall debate on specialist endometriosis care earlier this year.

The details: The event runs from 13:00 to 17:00 and is split into two parts.

• From 13:00, attendees can take part in a sunflower painting session led by Creation Station, with all materials provided and the finished painting to take home. This costs £25 and also includes access to the Q&A session and raffle later in the day.
• From around 15:15, those not painting can join for £6, covering entry to the Q&A and raffle. Attendees will be welcomed by Ramsey, Lynch and Girls Anatomy director Cheryl Alcock, before a Q&A session with Ramsey, Lynch and guest speakers Jen Evans, a menopause advisor, and Zoe Wright, a women's health advocate. Topics will include endometriosis, adenomyosis, PMOS, PMDD, fibroids and menopause.
• A charity raffle will follow at around 16:40, with tickets priced at £1 per strip. Prizes donated by local businesses include beauty and nail vouchers, an acupuncture session, tattoo vouchers, bakery vouchers, family day passes and a crazy golf pass.

Forty failed women and counting: Breaking the silence on endometriosis in Suffolk

For more than a decade, Faye Ramsey was told her pain was “just IBS” or “in her head”. Now the 31-year-old teaching assistant is making sure the 40 women who shared their stories with her won’t have to wait that long, demanding change to a healthcare system that has left them suffering in silence.

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What they're saying: Faye Ramsey, co-founder of Girls Anatomy, said: "We are so excited to be holding our first event. Whether we have 10 people there or 60, having people show up really means the world to us. Never did we anticipate Girls Anatomy would be holding its first event within a couple of months of starting up."

She added the organisation is "incredibly proud" to be splitting profits from the event with Endometriosis UK. "The other half will go directly to Girls Anatomy, to enable us to put on more events in the future."

Co-founder Siana Lynch said: "Faye and I are so excited to be hosting our first women's health event. We never imagined when we spoke about creating 'Girls Anatomy' that it would truly take off the way it has. It means so much to us that we can bring a community together to allow them to feel seen, validated and also listened to."

Cheryl Alcock, director of Girls Anatomy, described how she came to join the organisation after being diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis following years of suffering with IBS. "It was actually Faye who said, ' Have you considered it could be endometriosis?'," she said. "Then one day they asked me if I would like to become the director of Girls Anatomy and I couldn't be more honoured."

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Ipswich.co.ukOliver Rouane-Williams

The bigger picture: Girls Anatomy says it has been supported by a number of local businesses that have donated raffle prizes, including Bonnie's Bakes, Jimmy's Farm, Go Bananas, Suffolk Seedlings, The Beauty Lounge, SB Nails, Emma's Florist, Beach Street Crazy Golf, Pleasurewood Hills and Angry Elf Tattoo Studio.

Tickets can be bought in advance by emailing girlsanatomy2@gmail.com, through Eventbrite, or on the day. Raffle tickets can be purchased without attending the event.

The bottom line: Less than two months after starting up, Girls Anatomy is bringing together guest speakers, local businesses and the community for its first event at Belstead Arms, with proceeds set to support both the organisation's future work and Endometriosis UK.

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